Atos 26

¹ Then Agrippa said to Paul, It is permitted thee to speak for thyself.

² And Paul, stretching forth his hand, made his defence. I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am this day to make my defence before thee, concerning all those things whereof I am accused by the Jews,

³ Who art accurately acquainted with all the customs and questions which are among the Jews, wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.

⁴ The manner of my life from my youth which was from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem,

⁵ all the Jews know, Who knew me from the first, (if they would testify) that I lived a Pharisee, after the strictest sect of our religion.

⁶ And now I stand in judgment, for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers:

⁷ To which our twelve tribes, worshiping continually night and day, hope to attain: concerning which hope, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.

⁸ What? Is it judged by you an incredible thing, that God should raise the dead?

⁹ I indeed thought myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth:

¹⁰ Which also I did in Jerusalem: and having received authority from the chief priests, I shut up many of the saints in prisons, and when they were killed, I gave my vote against them.

¹¹ And frequently punishing them in all the synagogues, I compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

¹² Whereupon as I was going to Damascus,

¹³ with authority and commission from the chief priests, At mid-day, O king, I saw in the way, a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round me and them that journeyed with me.

¹⁴ And when we were all fallen down to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the goads.

¹⁵ And I said, Who art thou, Lord?

¹⁶ And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise and stand upon thy feet; for I have appeared to thee for this purpose, to ordain thee a minister and a witness, both of the things which thou hast seen,

¹⁷ and of those in which I will appear to thee, Delivering thee from the people,

¹⁸ and the Gentiles, to whom I now send thee, To open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God; that they may receive through faith which is in me, forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them that are sanctified.

¹⁹ From that time, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

²⁰ But first to them at Damascus and at Jerusalem, and through all the country of Judea, and then to the Gentiles I declare, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.

²¹ For these things the Jews seizing me in the temple, attempted to kill me with their own hands.

²² But having obtained help from God, I continue till this day, testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what both the prophets and Moses have declared should be,

²³ That the Christ having suffered, and being the first who rose from the dead, should shew light to the people and to the Gentiles.

²⁴ And as he was thus making his defence, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself, much learning doth make thee mad.

²⁵ But he said, I am not mad, most excellent Festus, but utter the words of truth and sobriety.

²⁶ For the king knoweth of these things; to whom also I speak with freedom; for I am persuaded none of these things are hidden from him; for this was not done in a corner.

²⁷ King Agrippa, Believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.

²⁸ Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

²⁹ And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but likewise all that hear me, were this day both almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.

³⁰ And as he said this, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them.

³¹ And as they were going away, they spake one to another, saying, This man doth nothing worthy of death, or of bonds.

³² And Agrippa said to Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Cesar.